


Wisteria Maiden

by TheSunEater



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 03:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15186224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSunEater/pseuds/TheSunEater
Summary: “Floating out of the paintingComing in this worldSo enchanting with her sultry gestures,Dancing like a wave ofWisteria Blossoms.Rengetsu”





	1. Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is an old idea of mine that I finally polished up. It’s all written so it’s just a matter of editing and uploading, enjoy!

The cause of the creation of the painting was the kidnapping attempt of Hinata Hyūga at the age of three. This, on top of her apparent frailness and timid nature, prompted the elders to look for a way to preserve the clan...

A jutsu known only to the the clan elders and select others was researched.

After being discussed, it was approved by the clan head at the time and after gathering four able shinobi..

This jutsu was cast.

This is how the painting was made.

* * *

_Hinata's Shadow:_

* * *

Inside the painting there is a mirror image of Hinata Hyuuga, surrounded by a peaceful scenery of a pleasant day at a meadow of wisteria blossoms.

While sharing some of her personality and traits, she only holds her experiences up to the age of three.

 _She_ is in no way, Hinata Hyuuga, however..

 _She_ has been trained through the painting how to use the byakugan and some of the other jutsu associated with it, though she is far less learned than her counterpart.

With no current knowledge about technology or the Hokage, she would not understand Konoha, however she had been taught how to rule fairly and politics. Everything a figurehead needed, nothing else..

The lavender maiden would often wonder how life was like beyond the meadow, but be met with scared looks and shifty eyes. "You'll find out one day."

Little did she know, she was not the original Hinata Hyūga, nor was she quite real.

Everyday the elders of the clan considered Hanabi or Hinata herself more capable of ruling, everyday it looked like ' _one day_ ' would never come for the [Wisteria Maiden](http://wisteriamaid.wix.com/biography).


	2. Wind

_What was it like to be painted into existence?_

"What is it like to be brought into existence naturally?"

What was it like to just... exist in the world one day?

This was met with a tired smile, as the maiden did not know herself. However, she was prepared for the question as the man had asked it many times before. "I do not know myself. Maybe as you do not remember your natural birth, I can not recall this painting being made.."

As the elder squinted at her, straining his Byakugan to catch a hint of trickery, the wisterias that surrounded the peaceful woman danced with an unseen wind. One that did not touch her or her vibrant lilac locks..

"You've began to answer back well, Hime." She bowed her head respectfully, years of only being around flowers and wizened Hyūga elders hastening her response time, all while carving it too look that much more delicate. "You may ask one question for the successful completion of your banter course."

It was no joke how those wide eyes seemed to light up at the announcement.

Oh, she barely kept herself from bouncing up and down. Only the thought that he would take her chance alway if she did, kept her movements still and head bowed.

"Thank you sensei," The gentleness that laced her voice almost shook as she continued. "In the outside world, does wind move you, your clothes, your hair?"

To anyone that did not understand, this might have been the question of someone disabled, but to the elder..?

The maiden watched as he swallowed roughly, his head bowing. Had her curiosity touched him or brought a sort of negative reaction?

She _couldn't_ _tell_.

"Wind.." As he spoke, she eagerly perked up. "Wind is something that surround you, the air that you breath. At times it as docile and unmoving as the earth. At other times, it can create tempests, storms that could destroy the very earth on which you stand.."

At the end of his spiel, he found the painted lady looking upon him with childlike wonder, mouthing ' _wind_ '.

"Now, I must go." He bowed his head and made the hand sign that would deactivate his Byakugan. Thus, leaving her alone again.

Just as he was about to leave the meadow of wisterias once more, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

As he left he heard the clone of Hinata Hyuuga speak in a bright voice that he had never heard from either of the two before. "Arigatō sensei! Come back again soon!"

No, this girl was not Hinata Hyūga, he knew that..

"Yet.." He exhaled as he readjusted to the world, clutching at his walking stick for a minute before he exited the room. "Sometimes I forget I am speaking to a clone.."


	3. Budding Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neji in this chapter would be young, maybe just joining the Shinobi academy or finishing his first year.

The sound of tiny feet scurrying across the floor was one that had she had begun to grow used to waking up to recently. Not to mention sound of the massive sheet that covered her painting being slowly dragged off of it in the darkened room.

Knowing that it was not the day nor anywhere near the appropriate hour for one of the wizened elders to come and see her, the wisteria maiden felt her heart race. Both with excitement and a strange terror.

"Kage-chan..!" Came the whisper that caused the little maiden to run excitedly, like it had time and time again, excitedly to the very edge of her domain. Even causing her to almost fall to her kimono covered knees in her hastiness. "Kage-chan."

Even as she struggled to squint out into the darkness, she could hear her companion shuffling around. A match flared into existence just a moment later and she could suddenly see the boy before her. "It's me, it's Neji."

Even as he said his name, a joyous smile lit her face up. "Neji!"

Yes, few knew that the painting even existed and of those few? The only one that treated the clone remotely like a living being, and not like a pawn, was the boy that was entering the painting at _this_ _very moment_.

After he set foot into the illusionary wisteria filled meadow, Neji quickly steadied himself. Only to approach the main purpose of his nighttime visit as soon as he did, the maiden herself.

It was with ease that the boy touched his friend's arm, not seeming to care what was real and what was not.

Or rather, who...

"How have things been?" Came his short question.

The girl tilted her head, before giving him a gentle smile and responding. "Things rarely change inside the meadow, but I have a ninjutsu teacher now.."

She wrinkled her nose and looked around, as if someone would hear, before whispering. "I just want to learn how to heal people though, the byakugan seems.."

She trailed off and Neji sighed, filling in for her. "Practiced? Predetermined?"

He was met with a quick series of nods, not that he was surprised, and a tug at his sleeve as the maiden's eyes grew wide. "Is it the same for you too, Neji-kun?"

The stiffer Hyuuga sighed again, shaking his head. "No, I just had a feeling.."

After all, since he believed in things being predetermined, the Byakugan was like second nature to him..

"N-Neji..?" There it was, the little stutter that made his teeth grate and pull his sleeve away from the small copy of the Hyuuga heir.. "A-ah.. Ah! Gomen, I forgot."

"I know.." The brunet forgot how many times he sighed as he calmed back down, closing his eyes and wrinkling his brow. "What were you trying to say..?"

"Are you sure it's okay for you to.." Neji opened his eyes and narrowed them. Watching the girl twist her kimono in her hands as she grew quieter which each word. "Be visiting me..? What if.. What if you get hurt?"

For the child had learned of the Branch clan long ago.

She knew Neji was in danger each time he stepped out of line. However, she did not quite comprehend how ' _punishments_ ' worked. Were children were treated nicer than adults?

So here they were..

The clone peeking up at Neji through her lashes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"As long as no one tells them and I'm careful.." The boy felt his patience wane as he looked down at the mirror image of one of the people he despised. "I will be fine, understand? Don't worry about me, Kage-chan.."

He sighed as the clone's frown only deepened and quickly changed the topic. "So what kind of healing do you want to learn, chakra or..?"

Neji leaned back and admired as her facial expression changed to one he'd seen on only her visage, one he knew he would never see on the real Hinata's.

Truly, it was only when he stopped to compare the small things did he remember just how different they were.

"Neji!" Just like how 'Kage' had the guts to speak in a higher decibel when addressing him. "Did you even _hear_ what I said?"

Honestly.

"No." The maiden let out a small whine before repeating herself, much to Neji's amusement.

Neji sometimes wished the clone could come out of the painting..

_Not that he would ever tell her that.._


	4. Flowering Buds

Here they were again. Years later, worlds wiser, as the sheet was pulled off the maiden's cage.

This time, truly befitting the title of a maiden, she did not scurry to the edge of her domain. She stayed seated in the middle of the meadow.

The only sign that she was alive inside of the genjutsu? A gentle smile, one she could never seem to prevent, curving its way across her visage.

"Kage-san." Of course, for every ounce the maiden had changed, so had her friend.

No longer was he the harsh little boy that had confided in and ranted to her. _No_.

"Neji-kun.." As she rose and reached out to him, he grasped at her hand.

Neji Hyuuga had grown and blossomed, a sight that the clone was always delighted to see.

"You've grown more lady-like, Kage." There was a knowing smirk on her friend's face as she rolled her eyes at him.

Yes, as he of all people would know, hours of etiquette training would do that to a Hyuuga.

"Your chakra flow also looks strange.." He frowned, releasing her hand as he stared her down. "What have you been up to while I was away?"

There was a moment where she resisted the urge to fidget, a habit she knew irked him to no end. "Ah.. You know just this and that.."

She smiled sheepishly when his frown deepened into a scowl. "You know you can't lie.."

It was _almost_ comical how the smaller Hyūga's fragile shoulders sagged as she sighed and whispered. "I was testing how good my control is.."

Neji only had to raise an eyebrow to get her to continue. "I tried to cast medical ninjutsu and I messed up.."

The purple-haired woman drew her kimono tighter, as if it would protect her, while Neji inhaled with an audible hiss.

However, after thirty seconds passed, she peeked up at the older Hyuuga in confusion. Only to find that he had pulled out a salve of some sort. "Here, baka."

The maiden pouted as she caught the small container that he tossed roughly towards her head. "..?"

"If you must try idiotic things.." He glared at her, causing her pout to turn petulant as she looked down. "At least be prepared.."

The girl nodded, fighting off the smile that was threatening to burst onto her lips. "Arigato, Neji-kun.."

She only saw his feet turn as he faced the rest of the endless meadow. "Hey.. Kage? Don't you ever get tired of this meadow?"

His question was met with a breeze that could not be felt or heard, only seen. _It was as if the meadow had taken offense_..

"I could ask the same about the Hyūga complex or Konoha.." The answer, slow and filled with conflicting emotions, came after a moment. "It's not perfect, but it is my home.."

Neji watched, carefully considering what he should do at this moment. For he knew the facts, this woman in front of him ( _who he had grown attached to_ ) was a clone and if she was left in the painting for more than another five years...

He turned away. No, that wouldn't happen, the elders would not be so cruel..

"I understand." He then turned back to the clone and placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair. He also promised himself, right then, to keep an eye on her situation. "But you still want to leave, don't you?"

There was hesitance in her innocent lilac eyes, but she smiled brightly after a moment. "Yes. I want to be free."

There was a pang deep within Neji's soul as he nodded. "I think, I understand that better than anyone.."

The maiden nodded gently, dislodging his hand. "But that's why we've always gotten along, ne?"

Neji chuckled, as she fixed her hair. "I suppose so."

"I know so!" She tugged at his sleeve, distracting his train of thought as she pulled him to sit. "How was the mission with Naruto-san?"

Before he could answer, she tacked on. "How's Ten-Ten? Lee?"

He scowled at her jokingly as he began to describe his latest mission.

It was a familiar tune, honestly. Things always went like this in the meadow...


	5. Wilting Buds

The maiden was no longer a child.

She had not been a simple one for some time now, nor had she been an innocent.

No, as time passed on and she grew smarter, the problem became clear. She was not simply a clone that the elders could dissolve with a simple hand sign if they truly needed to, not anymore.

It had been too long, too many years. Not to mention, just as Neji had developed a a fondness for her..

Even though, many of them were _reluctant_ to admit it. So had her aging teachers.

"The child learned how to locate pressure points much faster than Hinata-sama, didn't she?"

"But she has a habit of breaking formal speech, it is a bit pleasing but not the best trait."

"Ah, there was still watercolor in my hair? The maiden made a flower crown for me. Eh? I just commented on how much better she became at applying them into her plait and she insisted."

Yet, they were Hyuuga men, they knew emotions came second after the clan's affairs. They always had and _always_   _would_.

Then there was the problem of the painting itself. What could they do?

The elders had known that once they cast the genjutsu on the painting. There would be a pull, a want, to keep it forever..

A first, this little warning clause in the scroll that dictated how to cast the jutsu had seemed like a joke. As all genjutsu had some version of this warning..

_Yet, now?_

If they could reverse time to warn themselves they would. There had been maids and little Hyuugas that had almost wandered into the room, without knowing why they were doing so.

The warnings of not to, well, they seemed to no longer be enough as the chakra that fueled the painting's illusion grew older and seeped outward. It was like a finely aged alcohol, some felt the pull to it, others wouldn't glance twice at the out of the way door.

The elders never spoke of what would happen if Hinata or Hanabi proved themselves as competent heirs. That, they knew, was the scariest problem and had become the root of several others.

As if the everyday tensions weren't enough, of course, there was the problems the maiden herself gave.

"I don't want to learn about etiquette, sensei, you _promised_ to teach me about the village." Was a common complaint that one of the elder's got.

Not to mention her knack for smuggling in books on healing and subjects that they had never planned to teach her..

Although, as the war occurred and things settled after, the elders noted they saw the books less. Was it that she becoming more competent at hiding them or that the way she'd found to get them originally had been closed to her? The maiden never told them.

* * *

However it was the loss of her confidant, her one unassuming friend around the time of the war that stunted her growth.

For, though the elders kept her sheltered for one reason or the next, Neji never had.

She still recalled his last visit to the meadow, how he had looked more mature yet relaxed in his shinobi attire..

"I don't know if I should tell you this, but I cannot assume to know what will happen tomorrow or the days after." He had said, his voice gentle as he held up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "Konoha is under attack, Kage.."

She had stilled at that, a shard of icy fear shooting up her spine as her grip on Neji's pants leg tightened. "You know I'm strong, that Hinata and the leader.."

He had smiled wistfully, placing his hand on her head. "That all of you in this village need me.."

"You'll come back and tell me everything, right?" She had smiled weakly, already knowing..

Even as he sighed and pulled her close, to allow for a rare hug. This was no mission..

_This was war._

"You'll hear about how great your friend was on the battlefield." He said as she clung to the green jacket. "I promise."

She had heard the loophole, but..

"Hai, make me proud Neji-kun.."

* * *

 

That had been months ago.

Had he made her proud? Was he injured? Captured?

Could she ask the elders without getting him into more trouble..?

"No.." She smiled brightly as she clutched at the latest medical book her friend had brought her. "I'll be out of here soon, Neji-kun, and I'll be able to heal you if you're hurt.."

It was a promise, one she made to the painted winds that could never seem to reach her. "Just wait.."

That was how her days passed. As the painting and the maiden within grew older, stronger..

There came a point where all she did was stare into the distance, pondering how long it would be until someone else came..

Until the wisteria-tinted delusion would clear again..

"Nani..?" Her chime of a laugh echoed eerily as a bit of moisture dripped down her cheek. "What am I crying for..? I-I'll be free soon..!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies on the angst, hope you’re enjoying!


	6. Frostbitten Decisions

As the maiden's mental state spiraled and the meadow maintained its unwavering state, the world beyond the brushstrokes had moved forward.

A light layer of snow, perhaps the last of the season, coated parts of the Hyuuga property..

While in other parts? Grass had begun to grow.

"Hyuuga-sama.." Came a call from a young chunin as he rushed to one of the elders' side, bowing as he held out a scroll. "I have a message from the others.."

The boy trailed off as the scroll was taken and the seal on it was broken.

 _Ah_ , he thought proudly as kept his head bowed, _I was given an important task.._

However, the elder made no show of giving him praise. Hell, the old man didn't even flinch as he rolled up to message.

He simply looked down his nose, as the messenger quickly realized most elders had a talent for, and dictated in a monotone. "Carry this message to them word for word. Your terms are agreeable and remember, there is no such thing as failure while you report to the Hyuuga clan."

The elder waited until the boy repeated the message back to him to he send him off. Hardly daring to take a breath that was too harsh as he walked back to his private quarters.

_So, it was to happen soon._

As the elder's bedroom door swung shut behind him, he exhaled harshly and sat down at his desk, a look of disbelief crossing his visage.

"I can hardly believe it.." The man whispered as he ran his fingers through his speckled hair.

It had been two years, two long years of waiting since the war to see who would prevail as the clan's heiress..

"Unsurprisingly.." He muttered as he crossed off the name Hinata from the list, the eldest Hyuuga had given up her spot. He had no idea if the reason was _love_ or if the _feeble_ Hime was just that.

Making her unworthy. "Now, regardless of that.."

The elder stared at the two options before him, his grip on the pen tightening as he expression followed suit. "It has become clear as of recent who will rise to the seat of clan leader.."

As the man started to strike the other name from his records, he could not deny that there was a small pang of sorrow in his heart as he thought of the innocent girl that he had given lessons to for years. "Hanabi Hyuuga will be the clan leader.."

The declaration was firm, as it should have been, but the moment after was bleak and not joyous as it should have been.

For now? The elders had dirty laundry to take care of..

That they had already begun the process of ridding themselves of.

As it were, most of the other elders were already gathered in the room where the painting _and the maiden_ , herself were stored.

Soon, after he finished writing the coded message to send to his personal consultant on the Hokage's board about clearing a time slot to smuggle the painting out of the village, he would join them.

"It is strange, isn't it?" The wizened man sighed after he released the messenger hawk that would seal the maiden's fate. "How easily one can decide another being's future..?"

However thinking of such things were moot. The man stood and walked to his door, a simple deadpan serving as his mask as he walked down the familiar path.

He walked briskly, not stopping for any idle chat along the way.

He simply couldn't be late for his last stroll with the maiden in her meadow, _now could he..?_


	7. Hanging onto a Thread

It was another quiet day in the meadow, just the maiden and the yellowing books she had been hiding amongst the wisterias.

"Ah.. That's right..!" She said as she marked off another day on a planner one of the absent elders had gifted to her. "Today is a visiting day.."

 _But_ _what was this_..?

Even as the hopeful words left her lips, her expression fell and she set aside the planner.

She found herself not daring to hope as she recalled that no one had showed up the past month and a half.

"Is something going on out there..?" The woman stood slowly and drifted to the edge of her domain. Wishing that the painting was not covered up, that it was not in a dark room..

There was no wall, no cliff, not even bars, nothing that _truly_ separated her from the outside world..

Perhaps that was why she tried to take the next impossible step forward. Of course, only to be pushed back by some unknown force. She finally fell to her knees.

How easy had it been for Neji, even the elders, to waltz in and now out of this meadow..?

"To leave me behind.." She whispered as a single tear left her lilac eyes. "To leave me in the dark..?"

The clone that could not be called a clone anymore, for she was alive and had her own mind, but still..

_Who would miss her?_

"Neji-kun.." She sobbed, bowing her head and releasing her anguish for the first time since the prodigal Hyūga had left the meadow. "Y-you promised.."

_But what had he promised?_

The maiden knew. Of course she knew, even now as her fists hit the meadow's too-soft-to-exist ground.

Just because a shinobi had befriended a clone...

"It means nothing. I-I meant _nothing_..!" She hiccuped and scrubbed at her face, gritting her teeth as she grit her teeth. She placed her fists on her kimono covered thighs after a moment. "That name you gave me was fitting, wasn't it, Neji-kun..?"

She laughed bitterly as her straight, lilac locks covered her face from sight. "I guess all I am is Hinata-san's kage in the end.."

It was another few minutes before the Hyūga stood up, no trace of tears or sadness left on her visage.

"I wonder if anyone remembers me.." She laughed softly as she sat by the stack of books she'd collected. She supposed it wouldn't do to worry or reflect on them, if they did not do so for her..

"I wonder.." She murmured in a frail voice that rang out like a wind chime. "Will I be eighteen soon..?"

Honestly, the maiden had forgotten the exact day, but..

"Maybe I can learn how to do this healing jutsu by then.." A faint smile lit up her expression before it faded back to a blank slate.

Truly, within the meadow? It was hard to make any progress. Nothing ever changed.

The maiden did not know if she would ever see a sunset that was not composed of careful brushstrokes..


	8. Pulling out the Roots

How long had it been since the darkness that lay past the painting's edge had lifted..?

The maiden's eyes flitted and fluttered as rays of light reached them. "Nani..?"

It was a quiet whisper, filled with disbelief as the sound of not one, but all of the elders echoed across the meadow.

If she hadn't known that her condition was kept perfect by the painting, she might have considered the possibility that she had grown delusional in her loneliness.

Instead, she robotically stood up, fixing her kimono and hair. Oddly silent, as the cloth that was always blocking her vision of the outside world was removed.

Even as the elders entered the painting, the maiden could not bring herself to speak. She intertwined her fingers in front of her, her expression still as the wisterias bustled around the group.

"It has been a long time, Hime." It was the elder that had entertained her questions of the outside world that spoke. "You have grown."

The clone inclined her head automatically, a noise of agreement leaving her throat automatically. "Yes, it has been quite some time."

What she missed was the look of pity and pain that crossed his visage, before his mask returned. "Unfortunately, this will be the last time we shall meet."

There was a moment of pregnant silence, before the maiden's horrified expression snapped to her teacher's face. Her eyes searching uselessly for some sort of light or humor. "S-sensei? You just mean for a l-little while more, ne? _Ne_?"

As the maiden's grip on her hands grew harsh, the wisterias blew restlessly, threateningly around the group.

The elder's lips thinned as he looked down at the girl, inhaling silently before delivering the finishing blow. "It was decided that Hanabi shall be the leader of the clan, therefore you are no longer of any use."

The maiden's eyes clouded over with confusion as she took a few unsteady steps toward the elders. "I don't have to be the clan leader, I..-"

She was cut off by another elder's ' _Tch_ ', before again, her sensei sharply said. "You have _no use_."

That cut off her rambling. "You can perish to protect the elders of your clan. Does that not sound like a noble deed?"

_Perish?_

The wind storm that had been circling them fell flat as the word echoed in her head.

 _Perish_.

They were going to kill her?

"Why?" She whispered as the light went out of her delicate lilac eyes. "I only ever did what you asked."

Some of the elders had begun to leave, already having made their appearance and not feeling any responsibility to her. She fixated on the Hyūga that had taught her how to read and write.

He didn't so much as flinch as she moved closer, getting in his face. "Our survival is more important than you. If we got caught.."

_Ah, that_ _was always it, wasn't it..?_

There was no apologetic tone, no glimmer of regret in his eyes as he continued to speak. "You are but a clone, Hime, do not worry. Just fade peacefully back to nothing."

Something inside of the little Hyuuga clicked at that statement. One second she was staring blankly at her teacher, the next?

The man was on the floor of the meadow, clutching his face as he bled from the four scratches that stretched across his cheek.

"Hime!" She barely heard his scream, a screech of her own leaving her lips as the other elders rushed to restrain her.

"I'm not just a clone!" The near hysteric scream was accompanied by her jerking away from their hands and grabbing at her sensei's collar. "You can't just _kill_ me!"

Yet as one of the elders hit a pressure point on her back and she fell..

She already knew that there was nothing she could really do to stop them.

She could pray. She could hope that Neji would finally return and set things right. Yet, as the elders dragged her injured sensei away, she could not help the tears that began to fall.

"Hime." She made a noise of acknowledgement as her teacher called out to her again, for what might have been the last time. "The shinobi that will be coming.."

She closed her eyes and clutched at the purple petals that she had fallen on as he struggled to speak. "They're coming to take your painting away later today, so this is our goodbye.."

The tears ran hot and fast from her eyes as the purple buds around her began to wilt.

Was the painting reacting to the news of its destruction or her sadness? _She couldn't tell._.

Even as the paralysis lifted and the elders threw the black cloth over her painting again, she did not move.

_Who could she blame? Who could she curse?_

"Who did I wrong?" The Hyuuga lay there, cursing no one and everyone as she sobbed her heart out.

Yet, weren't they right in their own way? Who would miss her once she, once the painting was wrecked? Neji?

_He had not come back since the war.._

Perhaps, for a being living such a half life, one where she could feel nothing, death would be the best release..

"After all.." She murmured brokenly as her tears ceased and the fight left her. "Not everyone gets a happy ending, right..?"


	9. Weeping Blossoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise it’s not all bad. She won’t die so easily.

Sooner, rather than later, the squad of Hyūga members that were to be responsible for her disposal gathered in the small room that housed the maiden's painting.

There was no idle chitchat as the the unknown shinobi went about their business.

Only a near silent word or two was audible to the maiden as the cloth was secured 'more properly' around the frame as the painting was shifted.

The usually vivid purples of the landscape that had grown drab since the elders' arrival only worsened as the woman that had been trapped inside of it for over decade finally gave up hope.

She had no one to call upon or to pray to, yet as she heard her execution squad shout after there had been a long period of silence, minus their careful steps...

Could anyone really blame her for how her heart leapt and how she ran to the darkness that was the painting's edge?

Who was it? Was it Neji, was it someone else? _Or was she simply losing it..?_

"Please.." Her eyes never left the darkness as she waited for an answer to her questions, knowing that the commotion outside meant she would have to wait. "Somebody. _Anybody_. Please..!"

For, even the simplest of creatures would not want to die.


	10. The End..? Or is This Just The Beginning?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Portrait’s story comes to a close. One way or another, this would be ‘the end’.

Soon, however the commotion stopped. The darkness was not lifted as of yet, but still the maiden’s heart beat loudly as she waited.“K-Kage-san..?"

A muffled call of an unknown female from beyond the darkness reached her ears. Distracting the maiden with thoughts of another friend, one lost long ago.

It was only a moment, however, before her focus was back on this new ‘friend’ and whatever the girl was planning on doing. "H-how do you know my.."

That question soon faded out into the backdrop as the Hyuuga watched, almost thrown in a trance, as chakra began to seep into the meadow. “F-forgive me, Kage-san. We d-don’t have time to explain.”

It was obvious that whatever this woman’s chakra was doing? It was working.

Her chakra pounded on the invisible barrier that separated the maiden from the _real_ world. The flower petals of the wisterias and the paint that constructed them were yanked from the portrait, weakening the genjutsu. Distorting the meadow.

The maiden would probably not be able to properly describe the feeling of this chakra finally slamming through the barrier and surrounding her.

But to her? The violent pull from her meadow into the real world was like being pushed from the top of a mountain.

She slipped and slid across the disintegrating world, her hidden books and few gifts tumbling with her.

It was of little wonder that when her feet finally touched hardwood floor? That she promptly fell onto her knees, her eyes wide as her head whipped around. "I-I'm.."

She was in the _real_ world.

What was this? She raised a shaky hand to her face, her eyes stinging as her vision swam with tears. "Eh!?"

"T-thank you, I-" Wait, why was this woman slumped over?

The maiden hesitantly moved to check.

Her voice was gentle, if not scared, as she hesitantly placed a hand on the woman who lay on the floor in front of her’s shoulder. "Do you require assistance?"

The maiden did not realize who she was talking to, who she was offering help to. Until the woman turned to look at her, forcing her to look at a mirror image of herself.

Her mouth dropped open as the woman’s breath steadied and she whispered out. “Hinata-sama.”

The Heiress to the Hyuuga Clan reached out and clasped her hands, finally catching her breath as she looked at the maiden. “You’re Neji-san’s friend, right?”

Hinata was met with a nod and took it as a sign to continue to speak. “He sent me to save you, he knew that.. t-that they..”

Her voice wavered and her clone, Kage, squeezed her hands supportively. They exchanged weak smiles and Hinata soon continued. “It wasn’t right. I-I, we _couldn’t_ let them do this. So, I saved you.”

The maiden, or rather the clone, that had been so desperate to experience reality looked at her with awe. Seeing depths in those eyes that she had never seen, even in photos of the sea.

“And.. Neji-san? How is he? I-is he?” The clone asked timidly, earning a shocked look from the heiress before the woman threw her arms around her counterpart and held her close.

“Neji is fine.” She felt any fight she had left in her leave her body as she exhaled, the truth taking that with it as Hinata held her up. “ _Everything is going to be okay, Kage-san. Don’t worry.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all of you that read this story and appreciated it, we’re finally at an end. If you ever want to commission me, talk to me or anything: my Twitter and PayPal are linked on my profile!
> 
> All of your love is appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, Kudos and Donations are all appreciated! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!


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